More than a third of the US military transport aircraft previously stationed at Ben Gurion Airport have departed, according to reports from the right-leaning the source Israel Yamim. The departure follows weeks of debate about aircraft congestion at the airport amid US military logistical operations and a fuel-truck shortage.
More than a third of the US military transport aircraft that had been parked at Ben Gurion Airport have left, according to a report by the source Israel Yamim. The number of departing aircraft was not specified.
The departure comes after weeks of reported congestion at the airport, where roughly 63 US transport aircraft were identified by satellite imagery in early June. The US military presence at Ben Gurion had become a political flashpoint, with Transportation Minister Miri Regev calling for their removal, and reports of a planned relocation of about 20% of refueling aircraft ahead of a potential Iran agreement. The Israel Airports Authority warned earlier this month that 100,000 July passenger tickets were at risk of cancellation due to shortage of parking space for civilian aircraft.
As The Zioneer has previously reported, a solution for the parking shortage was reached on June 16, with about 20 aircraft to be moved to IAF bases. The full number of remaining US aircraft at Ben Gurion and the timeline for further departures remain unclear.
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Source and signal
- Internal intake